“Smile.” she said. Her lips curled into a dazzling smile. Her pearly whites shone brightly. The smile on her face threatened to split her pink and round lips, spilling little drops of blood on her face. My heart pondered on the mere thought of being captured in a photograph. The mere thought of a camera sent chills down my spine. The moment a camera is pointed at me, my skin starts crawling.
“Micheal, please smile. Let's get this done with. All I need is one perfect image of you smiling.” She said, This time her tone sounded different. It was as if my inability to smile for a single picture had drained every atom of energy in her. I could feel the pain and exhaustion in her voice. I could sense her frustration, the pain of having passion for photography and your partner not complying with it. I could sense the betrayal in her voice. The disappointment of realizing that the person closest to her could not share in her joy- that which she could not live without. The exhaustion in her voice gave off the impression that she was tired of having to tell me to smile or take a different pose.
“Run, Micheal. Make a move for it.” The voice in my head whispered cunningly. My instincts screamed for me to run, hide, or simply disappear into thin air. At that point, I wished I could just disappear into the shadows like a ghost.
I tried to smile. Heaven knows I tried to comply. I tried to please the woman of my dreams, but I couldn't help but keep a stern look. It was as if I was out of smiles and the box containing my smiles had been sealed away. I couldn't help but notice the weird looking camera in Mia’s hand. It made me feel uncomfortable, my skin crawling with unease. I did not like anything about it. The weird looking camera with its layers of black and white dots stared at me. Its presence came with a shroud of discomfort. I couldn't bear to look at it, so I quickly turned my head away, desperate to avoid its ugly appearance.
“You know what, just forget about it, Mikey.” Her voice, which had been playing around, suddenly took on a fiery tone, filled with anger and disappointment. “Mikey” a nickname she bestowed upon me the first day our hearts connected. “Mikey” the name sounded weird and slimy on my tongue, but I'd never tell her that. She thinks I like it. I stood silent, reflecting on the fact that every other person calls me Micheal, my birth name. My mom had taken to calling me Walter, my father’s name. “Mikey” was her thing. The nickname had become a strong pillar in our relationship.
“Come on, Mia. Please, not today. We just got here. Can't we just have a decent date without you always forcing me to take pictures? Can we just drop the camera for once?” I asked.
“Always? Really, Mikey, always?” Her voice mixed with disappointment and disbelief.
I stood there, silent. I couldn't look at her face, so I just stared at the floor.
“I always force you?” she asked again.
As the tension grew between us, I stole a sneaky peek at her lovely eyes. Behind her thick, long, and black lashes, her eyes held an ocean of tears. I saw a whirlwind of emotions in her gaze- sadness, pain, and a golden tray of disappointment.
“Say something, Michael.” She yelled. In all the years we’d known each other, Mia has never called me by my birth name. Why did she suddenly switch? She has also never yelled at me. Who knew this day would come? I always felt uncomfortable when she called me Mikey, but hearing her call me by my birth name felt worse.
“I don’t want to lose you, Mia. You see me. You understand me. You know the real me,” I whispered softly.
“Why don’t we give this another try.” I said as I walked to her and gave her a warm hug. My long arms gently encircled her shoulders. She sighed with ease. It was as if all her problems magically disappeared. This time, I was bent on doing everything to please her. Slowly, I led her close to the trees. Its beautiful branches shadowed us. I held her soft hand and gave it a soft squeeze.
“Let’s do this,” I said with a smile.
“Smile, Mike. I love you.” she said.
Like a fairy’s magic, her words healed me. As I closed my eyes, I saw her face in the depth of my mind. I pictured her face with my smile. Her radiant smile lit up like a thousand fireflies. I smiled brightly. That was the first time I smiled widely since dad left.
“Click” the distant sound of the camera brought me back to reality.
“This is really beautiful, Mikey. I'd definitely make a big frame of it. This picture is frame-worthy” As she leaned on me, a rush of emotions flowed down my spines.
“I love you, Mia” I whispered into her ear.
This is my submission to the Inleo prompt suggestion for the month of April. The topic is: what is your opinion about photography?
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